With JB Out, The Pressure Is Now On Altman

Thursday, the Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t surprise anyone when they announced coach J.B. Bickerstaff would not be returning next season. Bickerstaff was the right man for the job after the John Beilein debacle, but in the NBA, as in life, times change.

Bickerstaff gave the Cavs an identity. They would be a good defensive team and put forth maximum effort. After going 14-40 under Beilein, they won five of the eleven games under the new coach before the season ended due to COVID.

The wine and gold were 29th in defensive rating that season, and during the last three years, they were in the top ten in the league.

We ran into assistant coach Antonio Lang at a mall that season (we don’t know him, but recognized him) and in talking to him (small talk) we said it was a tough season and also remarked at how small the Cavaliers were.

Of the top eight players in minutes that season, the tallest players were Kevin Love and Larry Nance Jr. who are both 6’8″. And yes, that’s a theme we will address later.

As we said though, times change in the NBA and while the franchise should be grateful to Bickerstaff for setting a course for the young Cavaliers, now after appearances in the post-season the last three years, it is time for a new voice.

And by the way, that’s okay. There are many times coaches and managers are great in making a young team competitive but someone else comes in to put them over the top.

The term “a new voice” has been mentioned several times about the Cavs and we do not disagree. Cleveland needs a better offensive philosophy than the pick and roll heavy system they have used under Bickerstaff.

And we also still believe the frontcourt of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen can work with a different offensive scheme. It would require Mobley to develop a solid 15-to-18-foot jump shot, but the defensive force that duo gives you is tough to give up on.

Mobley’s biggest strength is being able to guard smaller players on the perimeter and making him a center probably takes that away.

The dismissal of Bickerstaff now puts the pressure to win on president of basketball operations Koby Altman. We said many times during the year that we had issues with the coaching but had equal issues with the roster construction.

We think Cleveland has run its course with the two small guards and no size at the wing position set up. In most games and playoff series, the Cavaliers have a size advantage at one spot, power forward with Mobley. They are undersized at both guard spots and at small forward.

Going back to the conversation with Lang in early 2020 about the roster being small, the person in charge of that roster was also Koby Altman, meaning it’s a trend.

The NBA is getting bigger. The smaller starter among the four teams in the conference finals is Kyrie Irving, listed at 6’2″. The Pacers have a 6’5″ small forward, but both their starting guards are 6’5″ too.

Altman said in his presser he didn’t see the need for changes, but we attribute that to executive speak, he’s not going to tip his hand. The Cavs need players in the 6’7″ to 6’9″ range that can play on the wing and can play.

They also need depth at center and power forward.

J.B. Bickerstaff probably wasn’t the guy to push the Cavaliers forward, but now Koby Altman needs to prove he is the man to build a roster of an NBA title contender.

We will see what the summer brings for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Left On His Own, Altman’s Been Fine

With the Cleveland Cavaliers were going through their recent 10 game losing streak, the natives started getting restless. Should the franchise replace GM Koby Altman, who has been at the helm since June 2017, taking over for David Griffin.

Since Griffin was the architect of the only championship team the city has seen in the last 56 years, he is revered here so Altman faced an uphill trek because of that. And it didn’t help that he is the GM of record on the Kyrie Irving trade to Boston, which many feel had owner Dan Gilbert’s fingerprints all over it.

He did pull off the megatrade at the trade deadline of the 2018 season, bringing George Hill, Jordan Clarkson, and Larry Nance Jr. to the Cavs, a deal that if isn’t made, the wine and gold probably do not make their fourth consecutive Finals appearance. Add to that, Nance has become one of the current team’s best players.

We feel in evaluating Altman, we should be talking about the man guiding the rebuilding of the franchise. It is difficult because early on in his tenure, it is difficult to judge what moves were made by Gilbert and which were made by Altman.

For example, we feel the signing of Kevin Love and the hiring of John Beilein as coach were moves made by ownership. Both were mistakes. Love’s contract seems to be an untradeable albatross, although we remember former GM Jim Paxson was able to move Shawn Kemp’s deal. And Beilein was an ill fit for the pro game, and left after half a season.

Several of Altman’s early moves were jettisoning veterans from the championship team for younger players. Kyle Korver brought Alec Burks, Hill brought John Henson and Matthew Dellavedova. Burks and Rodney Hood brought some spare parts and draft picks.

Altman has bad luck in the draft lottery too. The prize pick in the Irving deal, that of the Brooklyn Nets, was sabotaged a bit by Nets’ coach Kenny Atkinson, who made the team somewhat competitive, so it turned out to be the 8th overall choice. Would Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who went 11th, been a better choice? Perhaps, but over the last year or so, Sexton has shown he can be a solid NBA player.

Cleveland had the third worst record in the NBA in the 2018-19 season, but they fell to fifth in the draft and selected Darius Garland. The GM could be criticized for picking small point guards in consecutive drafts, but in this second year, Garland has shown signs he can be a player. And he added Dylan Windler late in the first round, and traded three second round picks for Kevin Porter Jr.

Porter looked like a solid pick, but the issues that caused a talented guy to drop to the last pick in the first round rose up again, and Altman was forced to deal hi to Houston.

The Andre Drummond situation seems to be a negative for Altman right now, but why not take a shot at getting a talented big man for virtually nothing. And when Drummond didn’t sign an extension, Altman got involved in the James Harden deal and picked up 22-year-old Jarrett Allen, who appears to be an all star in the making.

We know you cannot cancel parts of the schedule, but the Cavaliers just went through a brutal stretch of a schedule in which they played six games against top four seeds in each conference, and four more against likely playoff teams. Predictably, they lost 14 of 16.

Altman hasn’t been perfect, but no, repeat no GM is. He deserves to go through another trading deadline and draft to say what progress the Cavs can make in 2021-22. Besides, if he were to be replaced, it would likely mean a new GM would want to hire a new head coach.

Just think, since Altman got the gig, he inherited Tyronn Lue, and he was replaced by Larry Drew, John Beilein, and now Bickerstaff. J.B. will be the first coach to have an entire season since Lue guided the franchise to their fourth straight Eastern Conference crown.

There are more plusses than minuses right now for Altman, especially since the owner seems to not be involved. He deserves to see how it will play out.

Looking At Bickerstaff’s Experiences…

What do we know about Cavs’ coach J.B. Bickerstaff? Yes, we know his father was a long time coach in the NBA with the Sonics, Hornets, Nuggets, and Washington (both Bullets and Wizards, actually), making five playoffs appearances.

But how has he coached style-wise? We only got to see him for 11 games before the season ended abruptly due to the pandemic. The Cavaliers looked much better under his leadership, going 5-6 after he took over for John Beilein, who guided (?) the squad to a 14-40 mark.

Bickerstaff’s first head coaching gig was with Houston in 2015-16 taking over for Kevin McHale 11 games into the season. The Rockets made the playoffs, losing in five games to Golden State, who of course, lost in the Finals that season to the Cavs.

That Houston team was a veteran group, led by James Harden, who was the youngest of the top five in minutes for the team at 26 years old. Although the Rockets were 21st in defensive efficiency, Bickerstaff gave a lot of minutes to solid defenders like Trevor Ariza and Patrick Beverly, and he started Dwight Howard.

They were 7th in pace.

He then went to Memphis after being let go in favor of Mike D’Antoni as associate head coach under David Fizdale. He took over for Fizdale after 19 games (taking over during a season is a common theme), and the Grizzlies played at a slow pace, ranking 29th.

Memphis’ best players were two veterans, Marc Gasol (33) and Mike Conley (30), and the other leaders in minutes were Tyreke Evans (28), Dillon Brooks (22), and JaMychal Green (27).

The following season was Bickerstaff’s only complete season in the NBA, going 33-49 with a team that was last in the Association in pace, and their top eight in minutes per game were all over 25 years old.

It was the season in which Memphis moved Gasol, along with other veterans Green and Garrett Temple, getting Jonas Valanciunas and Avery Bradley.

Again, Bickerstaff gave minutes to some good defensive players, and the Grizzlies ranked third in the league in points allowed.

In the 11 games he was the man in charge last season, he most certainly paid attention to the defensive end. The wine and gold allowed more than 130 points in three of their last five games under Beilein. They allowed over 125 points in a game under Bickerstaff just twice, and one of those was an overtime contest.

One other thing Bickerstaff did was increase the minutes for his best players. Before he took over, Collin Sexton led the team in minutes with 32, followed by Kevin Love at 31, Tristan Thompson, Darius Garland with 30 and Cedi Osman at 29.

With the new coach, Sexton, Love, and Garland increased their minutes per game by four, while Osman played two more. The biggest jump was for Larry Nance Jr., who went from 25 to 31 minutes, and started getting some time at small forward. No doubt Nance’s ability to defend was a reason for the increased time.

So, we feel we can conclude that Bickerstaff is going to emphasize defense, which is good because it’s been a long time since that end of the floor has been a strong point for Cleveland. It could be a big factor as to why Isaac Okoro was the first round pick.

Now, the question is whether or not he is on the same page as GM Koby Altman? For example, let’s say a Darius Garland or Kevin Porter Jr. aren’t working hard enough on that end of the floor (speculation)? Does the coach cut their minutes and does Altman support that, or does he want the players he drafted to be on the floor.

In his past, Bickerstaff hasn’t played a lot of young players, but that could be due to the rosters he has had. But, we feel he will lean on players like Drummond and Love as his anchors.

Also, based on his past records as a head coach, he will want to win, and will probably coach that way. It will be interesting to see how this plays out once training camp and the regular season starts.

Cavs Plans This Summer Should Include The Sorting Of The Guards.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have a problem at the guard position, and we aren’t criticizing the 2018 first round draft pick Collin Sexton, who has been a whipping post for many both locally and nationally.

Sexton’s play over the last month or so, have given us optimism for the 6’1″ second year guard who, by the way, still hasn’t reached his 22nd birthday.

In the 11 games played after the All Star Game, Sexton is averaging 25.5 points and 4.2 assists a night, on 53% shooting from the floor, including 43.1% from three point range.

Even better, the Cavaliers have gone 4-6 in that period. Of course, the wine and gold also changed their head coach, replacing John Beilein with J.B. Bickerstaff.

No, the problem is there seems to be too many guards on the current roster, and with the Cavs perhaps having one of the top picks in the NBA Draft, whenever it occurs, several of the highest ranked players also play guard.

In the past two seasons, GM Koby Altman has adopted the draft the best player available mentality, so what happens if that is all that’s left when Cleveland’s turn comes up in the selection process.

It would seem to trigger some sort of move or at least a change in philosophy.

One reason for the overload at the position is Altman’s gamble at the end of last year’s first round, trading for Kevin Porter Jr.

Porter has improved as the season as gone on, and has earned more playing time as a result. He started the season playing about 18 minutes, and in each month has earned more court time, going from 21 minutes in November, to 23 in January, and then to a little less than 27 in February/March.

The Cavaliers need some size in the backcourt after using top ten picks on two guards under 6’2″ the past two drafts, and Porter at 6’4″ gives them just that. Beilein used him at small forward, where he was undersized, to get him on the floor, but in reality, he’s a #2 guard, where he can be paired with Sexton or Darius Garland, last year’s first pick.

Can Bickerstaff juggle playing time for three young guards, because they all need playing time to develop, and what happens if when the Cavs turn comes up in the draft, the best players remaining are Anthony Edwards of Georgia, LaMelo Ball, and Cole Anthony of North Carolina.

The “best player available” theory has to go out the window.

If the NBA does not resume the regular season and goes right to the playoffs (which we believe will be the plan), Cleveland misses 17 games to see if or how the three young guards can coexist together, especially with the changes Sexton has made in his game.

So, what does Altman do? Does he move either Sexton or Garland prior to the draft in an effort to get either a young player with some size or another first round pick?

Or does he trade down in the draft and pick either a small forward to compete with Cedi Osman or another big man because Tristan Thompson is a free agent at the end of the year, Andre Drummond can be a free agent next summer, and you never know when Kevin Love could be traded.

The point is the Cavs have plenty of holes, but maybe the backcourt isn’t one of them. It will be interesting to see what Altman and his crew does this summer.

Cavs’ New Direction Is Hopefully Forward.

When the Cleveland Cavaliers take the floor Friday night, they will have a new coach in J. B. Bickerstaff.

This is will be the third time the soon to be 41 year old has taken over a team in the middle of a season. He took over for Kevin McHale in Houston during the 2015-16 season, guiding the Rockets to a 37-34 record.

He also assumed the reins in Memphis from David Fizdale in 2017-18 and coached through last season, going 48-97 with the Grizzlies.

Here, he takes over what appears to be a mess. And we say that including the front office, John Beilein’s relationship with the roster, and the players themselves.

Let’s start with the front office. Koby Altman was the first GM to receive a second contract under owner Dan Gilbert, but since LeBron James departed via free agency after the franchise’s fourth consecutive Eastern Conference title, the Cavs have a 33-103 record.

Yes, the wine and gold are rebuilding, but they haven’t stripped the roster bare either. Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, and Larry Nance Jr. all received a lot of minutes on that 2017-18 team, and they are still here.

So is Cedi Osman, who was considered a youngster with talent on that squad.

However, has Altman put his thumbprint on this organization? It seems here like he is collecting talent, which on the surface would appear to be a good thing, but basketball is a different sport. Collecting talent isn’t everything, collecting complementary talent makes for a winning team.

Getting Andre Drummond for pretty much nothing is a good move. But it seems to clash with the team’s leading scorer, Collin Sexton.

Shouldn’t the current roster be playing inside out, with Drummond and Kevin Love getting the ball around the paint and the guards playing off them when they are double teamed? That doesn’t seem like Sexton’s strong point.

We would guess Bickerstaff has a better relationship with the players than Beilein, because they didn’t seem to like the former college coach, and the assistant would typically be the guy the players complain to about the head guy.

But now Bickerstaff is the boss, and he is setting up the rotations and controlling the playing time. Because of his previous experience, maybe he will grab the players’ attention, and get them to buy in to the way he wants the game played.

The players aren’t immune from criticism either. It’s one thing to complain about a coach trying to teach when you are winning, but when you are losing 3/4ths of the time you take the floor, perhaps you should listen.

We have said this before, but two former players who do Cavs’ telecasts, Austin Carr and Brad Daugherty, use this word all the time…accountability. It is lack among this roster and we fear nothing will improve with the Cavaliers until there is some.

And that goes for the young guys and the veterans. Perhaps this was lost when the coaching staff didn’t hold the newbies to an NBA standard from day one. We don’t know that, but it has to be enforced by both the coaches and the veterans starting now.

The defenders say Cleveland is only a year and a half into the post-LeBron era, so the struggles are understandable.

Our problem is we don’t see a lot of progress in performance particularly in the basics of the game. You can play the right way and lose or play the wrong way and lose. We prefer the former.

The next era starts Friday. Hopefully, the internal strife is behind this organization and they can start to pull in the same direction.

Hard To Find Fault With Cavs Or Beilein For This Failure.

It appears the revolving door that is the head coaching position for the Cleveland Cavaliers has started to turn again.

It is very likely that John Beilein has coached his last game in the NBA for the Cavs, and it is difficult to place blame on this failure to work on any one party.

In theory, hiring a college coach was a decent idea. The wine and gold put together a very young roster, and the thought was let’s bring in someone who can teach the kids to play the right way.

Beilein was connected to the Cavs by assistant GM Mike Gansey, who played for him at West Virginia, and obviously he thought he was prepared for an 82 game schedule and all the other things that came with being an NBA head coach.

He was wrong. He isn’t happy, and at 67 years old, shouldn’t you want to do something that gives you joy?

And that’s what we believe, that this is Beilein’s decision more than it’s the front office being unhappy with the direction of the team.

We do think there are reasons for the coach’s discontent though.

We feel he knows the current roster isn’t set up for success, and the front office is driving the idea of playing the “mini backcourt” of Collin Sexton and Darius Garland. The coaching staff knows it is very difficult to win in the pro game playing a pair of guard that are under 6’2″.

The tipping point for the former Michigan coach may have been the trading deadline. There has been speculation Beilein wanted Sexton and Kevin Love moved before the rosters were set for the balance of the season, and when that didn’t happen, he decided he couldn’t wait to get out.

The Cavs shouldn’t be shocked with the move either. After all, they hired a 66 year old head coach with no NBA experience. If they didn’t have an idea this may not work, then they were foolish.

We would guess JB Bickerstaff takes over the reins for the rest of the season. What he needs to establish is a blueprint for how the Cavaliers are going to play, and that imprint should come after a discussion with the front office.

Cleveland sports people have been using the term “alignment” a lot recently, mostly in discussing the Browns. However, the same thing is needed at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

We have been saying for about a month now, that the Cavs need an identity besides young players getting better.

If it was up to us, we would establish a defensive mindset. Most NBA players (if not all) can put the ball in the basket, but playing time should be determined by effort and success when the ball isn’t in your hands.

Until there is accountability on the other end of the floor, it is difficult to see significant progress for this group.

Perhaps Bickerstaff can talk to Altman and get the “season has been a success” crap out of the way. It is time to start seeing progress, and it should start with playing defense.

You don’t play it? You don’t play.

If Bickerstaff can start putting this in place, keep him on for next year. If not, hire someone who will, but they have to have Altman on the same page.

Otherwise, it won’t work, and we will likely be talking about the same thing at this time next year.

Cavs Need To Adjust Their Style After The Break

The Cleveland Cavaliers enter the NBA All-Star weekend with the worst record in the Eastern Conference and second worst in the entire league.

They did make a splash at the trading deadline, acquiring two time All Star Andre Drummond from Detroit for pretty much a bag of balls and some warmups.

That’s not to disparage John Henson and Brandon Knight, but they were free agents to be at the end of the season, and weren’t coming back to play for the wine and gold.

With their roster set, what does the balance of the NBA schedule hold for the Cavs? What should they be trying to accomplish in the 30 or so games remaining on the slate?

GM Koby Altman was quoted as saying this season, yes, this one, has been a success because of the development of Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, and Kevin Porter Jr.

While we understand where he is coming from, no season in which a team wins just 26% of their games is a good one, particularly when they won only 23% last season, and supposedly added two first round picks.

These last 28 games should be about showing some progress on the court. No, we don’t think the Cavs should or will make the playoffs, but it would be nice if there were no more 41 point losses at home either.

And really, let’s say John Beilein’s group stunned the world and went 20-8 in the remaining schedule. Would people really be upset by that? That would be significant progress, no?

With the addition of Drummond, Cleveland is going against the grain in today’s NBA, going with more size. That’s not a bad thing, just different. But if you are going to go with it, you also have to change your style of play.

When Phoenix started the “small ball” movement, they didn’t line up and play the same style of all the taller teams in the NBA at that time, they started playing with pace and shooting more threes than the rest of the league.

The league average in 2004-05, Mike D’Antoni’s first year with the Suns, was 15.8 three point attempts per game. Phoenix took a league high 24.7.

If Beilein is going to feature Drummond, Kevin Love, Larry Nance Jr., and Tristan Thompson, the strategy should be play fast off of defensive rebounds, take advantage of fast break opportunities.

If that isn’t there, and the team is in a half court situation, the object should be to work inside out. Get the ball to Drummond or Love around the paint and surround them with shooters.

Thus, a greater emphasis should be put on defense, since the best way to fast break is to get stops, grab the rebound, and run.

That may also entail using a different rotation in the backcourt, maybe moving Garland to the bench and getting a little more size at guard by using Sexton and Porter, and occasionally Cedi Osman there.

We have said all season we would like to see Osman, Nance, and Love on the floor at the same time with Thompson at center, just to see if the Cavs can play that way.

This would be a good chance to experiment with that group together.

If you are going to play with size, then you have to use a style that doesn’t allow your bigs to be run off the floor, particularly with the way the game is played.

It’s going to take a new commitment from the coaching staff and the players. Will we see some progress in terms of team goals between now and the middle of April?

Key Word For Cavs? Accountability

Watching Saturday night’s Cavaliers game against the Chicago Bulls, both Austin Carr and Brad Daugherty both mentioned the same word multiple times.

The word was accountability.

Right now, the young Cavs don’t have it.

There doesn’t seem to be any personal accountability from the players themselves, and most of that seems to be because there isn’t any from the coaching staff.

This isn’t a blast on John Beilein because we believe the entire organization is invested in the development of the players drafted over the past two seasons: Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Dylan Windler, and Kevin Porter Jr.

So, this is something that has to come from both the front office and the coaching staff. Together.

Beilein was brought in to teach, to guide the young players in learning the game, to play a style conducive to winning, but it seems right now like while these things are discussed in film review and in practice, there are no consequences for not doing what the coaches want.

There is a fine line between letting players learn while playing and taking away playing time for transgressions, and now that 46 games have been played, perhaps it is time for a velvet glove to be used.

The wine and gold have been blown out the past three games, all at home, by the Knicks, Wizards, and Bulls, all teams in the Cavaliers’ class, that is to say, none of that trio is making the playoffs.

We could understand the lopsided defeats if they were playing the Bucks, Lakers, and Clippers. Or if they lost close games to the lesser lights of the NBA. But getting smoked indicates something needs to change.

The Cavs are reverted to the same god awful defensive team they were last season, although they weren’t a juggernaut on that end of the floor earlier this year. However, looking at the box score, we see John Henson played 11 minutes and Matthew Dellavedova was on the court for five.

Doesn’t seem like defense is a priority for the team if you are playing those two just 16 combined minutes. And yes, we know Delly has had a horrific shooting year, but if defense is important he should play.

After getting blitzed in the third quarter Saturday to fall behind by more than 20 points, the 4th quarter opened with Garland taking a 30 foot shot, and no, the shot clock was not running down.

When Beilein says he doesn’t want Garland losing confidence in his shot, we are sure he didn’t mean a shot like that was okay. Why not take him out of the game at that point?

Later, Dante Exum, who has more size to guard Zach LaVine than Sexton or Garland, was doing a decent job on the Bulls’ leading scorer, but Beilein removed him to put Garland back in the game.

Look, we know winning isn’t the end game for the Cavs in 2019-20, but you have to have some success and also build a foundation for winning down the road, and that begins by having the players be accountable.

The coaching staff put Tristan Thompson on LaVine at times during the game, which isn’t fair to Thompson, who is a very good defender, but shouldn’t be expected to stop a 6’6″ shooting guard on the perimeter.

That’s the problem when you lack size though. The Cavs don’t have any guards long enough to be a deterrent to a guy like LaVine. Hopefully this is addressed soon.

It’s time to take the training wheels off some of the young guys and force accountability on them. Until that happens, get used to seeing games like the three played last week.

Cavs Need To Decide What They Want To Be.

Since the Cleveland Cavaliers lost Game 4 of the NBA Finals on June 8, 2018, LeBron James’ last game with the wine and gold, the Cavs have played 126 games.

Cleveland has won just 31 of those.

And there are only five players who were on the roster then who remain: Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Larry Nance Jr., Cedi Osman, and Ante Zizic, and the latter two only played in mop up roles.

By the time the All Star game is played, it would not be surprising to see Love and Thompson both moved for younger players and/or draft picks.

Last summer, GM Koby Altman hired John Beilein, the former University of Michigan coach who had no professional experience as the head coach, presumably to teach the very young Cavs how to play the game.

Still, with a 12-32 record, currently the third worst mark in the NBA, more than one person has wondered what exactly is the Cavaliers plan to get back to the post-season, because right now, only the most optimistic person can see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Right now, it seems like the only plan is to acquire as many young players as they can and have Beilein and his staff get them to improve. While that’s fine in theory, does Beilein have a vision for his team and how do they get there?

The key phrase around town lately has been “alignment”. It’s what the Browns talk about in terms of having the coach and the general manager on the same page.

Is that the case with the Cavaliers? We think it’s a fair question to ask.

We have to assume Beilein and his staff have discussed what kind of style the young Cavs should play, but all we hear is that the coaches want the players to move the ball.

Is that it?

We don’t think basing a team on just athleticism alone seems like something that can be sustained.

Last season, the Cavs were terrible defensively, some experts said they were among the worst defensive teams of the past 20 years. This season, they are just slightly better, ranking 29th (out of 30) in defensive efficiency.

That’s something that should be addressed and quite frankly, should be the foundation for the franchise going forward. All young players know how to put the ball in the basket, heck, that’s how they get to the NBA.

However, learning defensive skills? That’s another matter and it’s also where we would start. Make it a mindset that playing time is based on defensive ability.

The late, great high school coach, Morgan Wooten used to tell his teams he was sure of two starting players: The best defender and the best rebounder. It puts a premium on those talents.

At the end of this season, we will be two full years removed from the beginning of the rebuilding process. It is fair to ask the organization to set a course for the future, identify the types of players you want, players who can fit together to get this team back on the winning track.

It’s easy to build a team when you can draft LeBron, Giannis, or Luka. If you don’t you need to build a culture. That’s what Miami and Utah have. They seek out players that fit their culture, that is to say, a style of play.

That can always be changed if you get the superstar player.

We fear no progress will be made until some sort of identity is established.

The Sexton Dilemma

We all know this was a season of growth and development for the Cleveland Cavaliers. That’s why GM Koby Altman hired John Beilein as the coach, a guy with a reputation for teaching young players how to do it.

Cleveland had three first round picks in 2019, and used them on Darius Garland, Dylan Windler, and Kevin Porter Jr. That trio, along with 2018 lottery pick Collin Sexton, were supposed to be the foundation for future success.

We don’t disagree with the drafting of Sexton and Garland, two smaller guards, in the last two years because we believe in the taking the past available player especially when you are a rebuilding team, and it seemed (at the time!) they were doing just that.

However, Sexton has fallen far short of expectations, and apparently is driving his teammates crazy in the process.

Right now, according to Basketball References’ VORP (Value Over Replacement Player), Sexton is the worst player who was drafted in 2018, just behind Kevin Knox of the Knicks, who was drafted right after him, and was a guy many people in Cleveland wanted the Cavs to pick.

The best players picked after Sexton, who was chosen 8th overall are New York’s Mitchell Robinson (36th), Mikal Bridges (10th), and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (11th).

First, we think Sexton has some talent, and he certainly has a good work ethic. By all accounts the Cavs’ management had to lock him out of the practice facility or he would not have left.

However, he may have the problem that plagued Michael Jordan’s early career with the Bulls, he feels the best option on every possession is himself. That differs from the way John Beilein has said he wants his team to play.

Beilein preaches ball movement, and too often Sexton falls in love with his dribble and looks for his own shot.

His three point shot percentage has dropped from 40% last season to 30% this season, although his overall percentage has risen to 45% from 43% in 2018-19.

And while he no longer is the primary point guard, he ranks fifth on the team in assists per game, behind a power forward in Kevin Love, and Matthew Dellavedova, who plays 18 minutes less per game.

He also has the second worst defensive rating on the team ahead of only Garland. That speaks to the Cavs being a bad defensive team and also being the smallest team in the NBA.

The biggest issue is the fit. Where does Collin Sexton fit on the Cavaliers, not this season, but for the future. Is he a foundation piece for the organization?

Playing the way he has this season, we would say no. We would rather have the ball in Garland’s hands, as he seems like a willing passer, eager to set up teammates.

Can Sexton change? Of course, he just turned 21 years old, but when is he going to “get it”? Part of Beilein being here is to teach the young guys how to play the game of basketball, right now, it doesn’t appear like Sexton is getting the message.

The emergence of Kevin Porter Jr. plays into this as well. Porter is really a #2 guard, and plays well together with Garland. Is there enough playing time to go around for all three players? Perhaps Sexton fits best as a sixth man.

Does Sexton have a future in Cleveland? It will be interesting to see if Altman would be willing to move him before the trading deadline. Certainly, everyone in the organization needs to start seeing some progress.

Young players are supposed to get better in their second season. We are still waiting to see some improvement.